Mechanical feed for gas producers



Oct. 21, 1930. J. F. ROGERS 1,779,109

MECHANICAL FEED FOR GAS PRODUCERS 3 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 21, 1930. J. F.ROGERS 7 1,779,109

MECHANICAL FEED FOR GAS PRODUCERS Filed May 2, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 -97F 3. a a6 y N 30 i 35 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII X\\ a 92 a 86 'lllllllllllllllI, 8 a 8K 7 7 i F 6' '0 I 14 \llllmlT mmm Oct. 21, 1930. J. F. ROGERS1,779,109

- MECHANICAL FEED FOR GAS monucms Filed May 2, 1925 3 Shets-Sheet 5Patented Oct. 21, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEj JOHN F. ROGERS, FCLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO ASSIGNOR TO THE WELLMAN ENGI- NEERING COMIANY,OF CLEVELANDuOHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO MECHANICAL. FEED non GASPRODUCERS A Application filed May 2, 1925. Serial No. 27,379..

V This invention relates to mechanical feed ers and particularly tofeeders of the automatic type for supplying fuel at the desired rate togas producers.

For the proper operation of gas producers it is desirable that the fuelbe delivered into the producer at a uniform rate correspond ing to therate at which the fuel is consumed in the producer. It, is alsodesirable that the fuel feeding means be such that gas will not bepermitted to escape through the feeder. In order to insure properdistribution of fuel upon the top ofthe fuel bed, the fuel should bedelivered to the producer in relatively small quantities and atrelatively short intervals.

Heretofore great difliculty has been experienced in designing feedersfor gas'producers capable ofhaaintaining the proper feed of fuel and ofproviding an efficient seal against the escape of gas due to the factthat the producer gases contain large quantities of tarry substanceswhich condense upon the feeding elements tending to clog the same.

In feeders heretofore used it has been necessary to provide specialmeans for clearing the stickly condensates from the feeding ele-.

ments and such condensates have so greatly increased the frictionbetween relatively moving parts of the feeders that considerable powerhas been required to operate the feeders and the feeding elementshavebeen subjected to severe wear. T

It is an ob'ect of the present invention to provide a feeder whichsatisfies the requirements as to regularity of feed and prevention ofescape of gas but inwhich the operation is not hindered by thesubstances condensing from the producer gases,

Further objects are to provide a feeder requiring very little power tooperate, to

provide a feeder in which the parts are sub jected to very little weardue to friction and to provide a feeder of li ht construction 0 n o e aa i which is inexpensive to manuiacture.

A. further object is to provide an automatic feeder in which thedelivery of fuel into.

the producer is controlled by a bell which is mounted in a chamber inthe feeder casing 5 entirely above the cover of the producer so that itis protected from the heat of the producer.

A further object is to provide a feeder of the double bell and hoppertype having a casing so constructed that access may be,

readily had to the bells for the purpose of repairing or replacing themand further to provide means by which the feeder casing may be cut offfrom the interior of the producer to permit repairof the feeder whilethe producer is in operation. I

With the above and other objects in view, the invention may be said tocomprise the feeder as illustrated in the. accompanying drawings,hereinafter described, and particularly set forth in the appended claimstogether with such variations and modifications thereof as willbeapparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention appertains.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which Fig. 1' is a fragmentary section throughthe top of a gas producer showing the feeder inside elevation; Fig. 2 isa side elevation of the feeder as Viewed from the side opposite thatshown in Fig. 1;

*ig. 3 is a vertical section through the feeder and Fig. 9 shows amodified form of. automatically releasable pawl for the feeder ratchet.

Referring to the accompanying drawing,-

Fig. l'shows the upper portion of the body 1 of a gas producer and thecover 2 mounted upon the top of the producer body. The body 1 and cover2are ordinarily rotatable one with respect to the other, a suitablewater seal 1 being provided between the upper edge of. the. wall of theproducer body and the periphery of the cover. One or more feeders aremounted upon the cover 2 and these feeders discharge on to differentportions of the fuel bed during the rotation of the producer body.

The feeder, forming the subject matter of the present invention, asshown in Figs, 1, 2 and 3, is provided with a base section 8 which issecured upon the top of the cover 2, this base section 3 being providedwith a central opening at through waich the fuel is discharged into theproducer, the section 3 also having an upwardly flaring wall. 5 whichsurrounc s the opening t and extends n1 wardly therefrom. At its upperedge the wall 5 has an outturned flange 6 upon which is secured theintermediate section. of the feeder casing. The intermediate section isformed of front and rear halves 7 and 8, which are provided with baseflanges 9 and 10 adapted to be bolted upon the flanges 6 of the basesection and with abutting vertical flanges 11 and 12 adapted to receivebolts for securing the two halves together. he lower portion of theintermediate section is restricted by a downwardly tapering conical wallportion 13 which terminates in a discharge opening 14 directly above theopening t into the producer. The front and rear portions 7 and 8 of theintermediate section are provided with outturned flanges 15 and 16 attheir upper ends which form supports for the base flange 17 of the topsection 18 of the casing.

The flange 16 of the portion 8 of the intermediate section of the casinghas threaded therein vertical jack screws 19, the upper ends of whichbear against the under side of the flange 17 of the upper section and bymeans of which the upper section 18 may be lifted when the attachingbolts are loosened to free the front section 7 of the casing and permitthe same to be removed without disturbing the section 8, for a purposewhich will hereinafter be more full explained.

Since the tarry condensates may work in between the attaching flange-sand cause the sections of the casing to stick tightly together after thebolts are removed, the flanges 11 and 12 are notched to provide betweenthem a recess or socket 20 adapted to receive the point of a chisel. orother suitable tool for breaking the portion 7 loose after its attachingbolts have been. removed.

The upper section 18, of the casing. has a downwardly taperii'ig lowerend portion 21 which terminates in an opening 22 through whicn materialis discharged from the upper section into the intermediate section.Adjacent the lower portion thereof, the wall of the upper section 18 isbulged outwardly at and adjacent the lower end, the wall of theintermediate section has a corresponding outward bulge at 2 Horizontalshafts and 26 extend transversely through the outwardly bulged portions23 and 24 of the casing and these shafts have fixed thereto, within thecasing, inwardly extending arms 27 and 28 from which are suspended links29 and 30 and to the lower ends of the links 29 and 30 are attachedbells 31 and 32, which are adapted to open and close the dischargeopenings 22 and 14. Upon the outside of the casing, at one side thereof,the shafts and 26 have fixed thereto levers and 34 to the ends of whichare attached counterweights 35 and 86, the counterweights 35 and 3Gacting to turn the shafts 25 and 26 in a direction to hold the bells 31and 32 in closed positions.

The upper lever 33 has an integral downwardly and outwardly extendingarm 37 and the lever 53% has an upwardly and inwardly extending arm 88,the arms 37 and 38 having rollers 39 and 40 which engage with a cam 41carrier by a horizontal shaft l2 journalled in the casing between theshafts 25 and 26, the roller 39 and 420 being arranged to engo the camupon opposite sides of the The cam tl is provided with an outwardlyprojecting arm 43 which, during the rotation. of the cam, engagesalternately with the rollers 39 and 40 to alternately swing the levers3% in a direction to lift the counterweights and to move the bells 31and 32 to open. position.

Means provided for rotating the cam shaft 42 at the proper rate tooperate the bells definite predetermined time intervals and to this endthe cam shaft 42 has fixed thereto, at the end thereof opposite thatcarrying the cam and upon the opposite side of the casing, a ratchet 44,in the form of a spur gear formed with involu'te teeth. The ratchet t lis actuated by means of a pawl 45 carried by a vertically disposed linkwhich is connected at its lower end to an arm 4E7 which is fixed to andextends forwardly from a horizontal rock shaft 4L8 journalled in bearingbrackets i9 fixed. to the lower portion of the part 8 of theintermediate section of the casing and at its upper end to an arm whichextends rearw rdly from a stub shaft 51 carried by the upper section 18of the casing. The shaft 48 has fixed thereto an actuating arm 52 towhich is attached a c nnecting rod 53 which is intermittently actuatedby a crank or eccentric whien may be driven by any suitable mechanism,either from the producer rotating mechanism or by an individual motor assh wn in Fig. 6 in which the rod 53 is connected to a crank 54 fixed toa shaft 55 driven by an electric motor 56 through suitable reductiongearing in a casing 57, the motor 56 and casing 57 being mounted upon aplatform 58 extending from the base of the feeder casing. in eachrevolution of the crank or eccentric, the link 46 is moved up and downand through the pawl 45 imparts a predetermined angular movement to thecam shaft 1-2.

To impart the necessary vertical movement to the bells and to providerelatively fast opening and closing movements the cam .arm 43 ispreferably a long narrow arm which engages each ofthecounterweightlevers only while the cam is turning through arelatively small portion of its revolution. While the front faceof thearm 43 engages with a counterwei ht lever the wei hted end of the leveris lifted and, while the engaging roller of the lever is riding down therearface of the cam, the counterweight acts upon the arm tending to turnthe cam shaft in a directionto cause the ratchet 4 to overrun the pawl.In order to accurately time the movements of the bells it is, therefore,highly important that a pawl and'ratchet mechanism be provided whichwill prevent movement of the ratchet in either direction during thereturn stroke of the pawl carrier and which will prevent overrunningof'the ratchet during the active stroke. The pawl and ratchet mechanismis illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawings and includes in additionto the actuating pawl 45 and ratchet 44 a holding pawl 59 suspended fromthe shaft 25 and a second holding pawl 60 carried by the link 46.

The pawl 45 is connected to the link 46 by a'horizontal pivot 61 and hasa curved arm 62 extending upwardly from the pivot 61 and terminating ina ratchet engaging tooth'63. The pawl also has an arm 64 extending outfrom-the pivot 61 and carrying a counterweight 65 at its outer end forrocking the pawl in'a direction to engage the tooth 63 with the teeth ofthe ratchet 44, the tooth 63 has alower face 63 formed to positivelyengage theteeth of the ratchet on the. down stroke of the link 46 toturnthe ratchet, and an upper face 63 so formed that when moved upwardlywith the link 46 it will engagethe ratchet tooth in its path at aninclination such that the thrust onthe pawl has an out wardcomponent'tending to shift the arm 62 in opposition to its counterweight65 away from the ratchet to permit the tooth 63 to pass a tooth of theratchet on the up stroke. The holding pawl 59, which is suspended fromthe shaft 25 directly over the cam shaft 42, tends to move by gravityinto ratchet engaging position; and has, at itslower end, a ratchetengaging tooth 66 which has an-upper face 66 formed to have a lockingengagement with aratchet tooth engaging therewith to positively lock theratchet against turning in'a direction opposite that in which theratchet is turned .by the pawlf45.

' lower face 66" of thetooth 66 is beveled at end .by a pivot .67 :to)3. projecting portion The 46 of the link 46 and has a ratchet engagingtooth 68 at its lowerend, the pivot 67 being disposed over the ratchetso that the pawl 60 tends to move by gravity to engagingpos1- tion. Thetooth 68 of the pawl 60 is formed to have a locking engagement with theteeth the ratchet to prevent movement of a tooth past the same in thedirection in which the ratchet is moved by the pawl 45. The pawl 60moves with the-actuating pawl 45 and engages with the ratchet during theactive stroke of the pawl 45 to prevent overrunning of the ratchet. Thepawl 45 is so mounted on the. link 44 that the tooth 63 thereof at theendof the down stroke lies substantially at the level of the shaft 42which carries the ratchet so that during the down stroke the tooth arm62oswings outwardly from the axis of the ratchet. This move ment of thearm 62 is utilized to free the tooth 68 of the pawl 60 at the end of thedown stroke,the pawl 60 having a pin 70 with which the arm 62 engagesduring'the downward movement thereof and the pin engaging edge of thearm being so curved that the tooth 68 is moved to a position clear ofthe ratchet at the end of the down stroke so that the tooth 68 of thepawl will ride over the tooth of the ratchet immediately above it duringthe return or up stroke of the link ,y,

46. During the down stroke of the link 46 the ratchet is turned by thepawl 45 and held against overrunning bypawl 60. At the end of thedownstroke thepawl 60 is freed from the ratchet and the tooth 66 of the pawl59 drops into engagement therewith. The pawl 59 locks the ratchetagainst rotation in a direction reverse to that imparted thereto by thepawl 45 on the down strokethereof and takes'the thrust imparted by theupper face 63* of the tooth 63 during the upward stroke, the face 63 ofthe tooth 63 exerting a pressure on the ratchet tooth with which itengages and serving to prevent rotation of the shaft 42 in a forwarddirection during the return stroke of the pawl. As the link 46approaches its upper limit of movement the tooth 68 of the pawl 60 dropsinto ratchet engaging position and the tooth 63. of the pawl 45 ridesover the. end of the ratchet tooth with which it has been engaging anddrops into engagement with the rear face of the tooth. It should benoted that the tooth 63 of the pawl 45 when in engagement with theratchet, lies to'the same side of the pivot 61 of the pawl as-thecounterweight 65 and the lower engaging face 63 thereof is so disposedthat the thrust against the ratchet tooth during the downward stroke hasa component acting in a direction to press the arm 62 toward the ratchetand hold the tooth 63 in engagement with the ratchet. In Fig. 8 of thedrawing thereis shown a modified form of pawl and ratchet designed topreventroverrunning and reverse rotation of the 1;;

. om the and has an engaging teeth 7 3 formed have a driving engagementwith the i chet teeth during downward movem nts or the link. The pawl 71has also a counterweight 7% acting to move the pawl toward. en position,the counterweig t hav" 75 engageable with the lint: 46 to innit tneniovement thereof toward the ratchet.

For preventing over-ra ng the ratchet, a. leaf spring" 76 is filial atits upper and has its lower end po end to the link do sitioned to engagethe teeth of the ratchet during the active stroke of tne link do. Thespring 76 yieies as the ratchet is turned by the pawl 71 but hassuflicient strength to hold the ratchet from overrunning the actuatingpawl.

The fuel is delivered to upper bell 31 by means of a vane wheel 76 whichis offset to one side of the longituoin l axis of the casing, the casingwall ha ing an offset portion 77 in the form of a segment of a cylinderconcentric with the axis of the vane wheel and the wheel has radialvanes 78 the e( of which are in close prc mity to the cylindricalsurface of the of portion they pass the same to cut elf flow of fuelalong the casing wall. The casing is provided with an inlet 79 at itsupper end which is offset laterally to a i e ent that the vane wheel 76so that the angle of re pose of the material entering through the inlet79 and resting upon the casing wall and upon the vane wheel, is suchthat the top surface of the material lies below the to of the vane wheelwhereby the only fuel fed to the upper bell will be that carried aroundin the pockets between the vanes 78. The How of fuel through the inlet 79 may be controlled by a slide valve 80 operated by any suitable means,the valve, as shown herein being provided with a rack 81 engaged by apinion 82 adapted to be turned by a hand wheel 83. The vanes 78 may beprovided with retaining fingers 8&- which retard the discharge of fuelso that the vane wheel ill deliver the material in a substantiallycontinuous stream to the bell 31.

The vane wheel. 76 regulates the flow of fuel to the upper bell 31 and,to this end, means is provided for turning the vane wheel at variousrates of speed relatively to that of the hell actuating cam shaft. Inorder to maintain at all times a fixed ratio bQb1-,Gl1 the rates ofmovement of the cam slmi v l2 and the vane wheel 76 the vane wheel isactuated by a pawl and ratchet mechaf ism which is operated by the linlrt6 which operates the cam shaft ratchet 44. A ratchet 85 in the form ofa spur gear is fixed to the vane wheel shaft 76 outside the feedercasing and this ratchet is operated by a pawl 86 carried by an arm 87which is rotatably mounted on the shaft 78 alongside the ratchet. Thearm 87 connected by a link 88 nut 89 which is adapted to travel alone; ascrew 90 mounted in an extension 50 of tne arm 50 to which the upper endof the link 4:6 is attached. The arm 50 is rocked upon each actuation ofthe linlr 46 and through the linlr 88 imparts an oscillatlng movement tothe pawl arm 8? which through the pawl 88 imparts a turning movement tothe ratchet 85. The screw 90 carries at forward end a hand wheel 91 bymeans of which the screw may be rotated to adjust the nut along the sameand toward and from the pivotal axis of the arm to vary the throw of thepawl arm 87 and to increase or decrease the angle through which the vanewheel is turned upon each actuation of the link 44.

The pawl 86 's rotatably mounted upon pivot pil 92 carried by the arm 87adjacent s outer end the pivot pin 92 being parallel n the vane wheelshaft 76 and extending across the periphery of the ratchet 85.

The pawl 86 has a tooth 93 in the form of a gear teeth adapted to meshwith the teeth of the ratchet and to roll into and out of engagement"herewith. The pawl is provided with a. counterweighted arm 94 whichacts to turn the pawl about its pivot in a di rection to swing the teeth93 into engagement with the ratchet at the end of the re turn stroke ofthe arm 87. Movement of the pa vl about its pivot in the directiontoward which it is urged by the counterweight is limited by a stop pin95 which projects through alaterally bent end portion 96 of the arm 87which overlies the outer side of the pawl 86, and engages wita anoutwardly projecting lug 9? on the pawl 86. v i hen the lug 9? of teepawl engages the pin 95 the teeth 98 is in ratchet engaging position,the pawl being held by the pin in engaging position during the forwardstroke of the arm 87 to impart movement t the ratchet. Upon the returnstroke of the ratchet the pressure of the tooth 98 against a tooth ofthe ratchet swings the pawl in a direction to move the lug 97 away fromthe pin 95 and to lift the counterweight arm 9%, permitting the teeth 93to ride over the teeth of the ratchet. The pin 95 is preferably ofbendable material which upon the exertion of a pressure in excess of apredetermined amount will yield and permit the lug 97 to pass and thusfree the pawl from the ratchet. As shown herein, the pin 97 is simply anail of the size required to of er the desired resistance to bending.111 the event that the rotation of the vane wheel should be impeded tosuch extent that there is danger of damage either to the actuatingmechanism or to the vanes, the pin 97 will bend and automaticallyrelease the pawl 86- from the ratchet. When so released the-arm 87 willoscillate idly without; turning the vane wheel. The operator may thenremove the obstruction impeding the rotation of the vane wheel andreplace the .nail 97 .with a straight nail whereupon the operation ofthe vane wheel will .be resumed. For permitting ready ac- Cess to thevane wheel 76 the front of the top section 18 of the casing may beprovided with a door 98.

Fig. 9 of the drawing, shows .a modified form of automaticallyreleasable pawl for operating thevane wheel ratchet. In thismodification a pawl carrying arm 99 is pivoted directly upon thenut 89on the screw 90 carried by the extension of the arm 50 and this pawl arm99 carries at its upper end a pawl 100 which is connected thereto bymeans of a pivot 101 the pawl 100 being provided with a downwardlyprojecting finger 102 which engages with a stop pin 103 carried by thearm to hold thepawl in proper engaging position. Yielding means isprovided for holding the pawl: in a position in which the finger 102engages with the stop.

pin 103, and this means consists of an arm 104 suspended from a pivot105. a short distance belowthe stop pin 103 on the arm 99. The'arm 104is provided with an upwardly extending finger 105 which engages with thefinger 102 of the pawl and at its lower} end carries a counterweight106' which normally lies within an opening 107 formed in the arm 99.- Itsometimes happens thata bar of wood or iron or other foreign matter isfed to the Vane wheel, with the fuel, and

becomes jammed between the vane wheel and casing, preventing therotation of the wheel. Whenever the rotation of the vane wheel.

is thusimpeded the pawl upon downward movement of the, arm 99 will rockabout" its pivot 101 causing the counterweight arm 104 to swing outwardlfrom the'pawl carrying arm 99 sufficient y to permit the tooth of thepawl toride over the ratchet. The

counterweightlOG will automatically return the pawl to proper engagingposition upon each upward stroke of the arm 83. Normally the pawl isheld in engagement during the down stroke of the arms 99 and imparts aturning movement thereto, the extent of which depends uponthe adjustmentof the nut 89. In the event, however, that the retation of the vanewheel is obstructed, the

pawl will ride over the ratchet but,1as soon as the obstruction ,isremoved, the vane. wheel 31 and 32 have a relatively rapid opening andclosing movement, the bells being closed quickly after the materialresting thereon has beendischarged; The conicalwall 5 of thebase-sectioncooperateswith the bell 32 to impede the flow of gas fromtheinterior 1 of the producer into the intermediate-chamber of thefeeder duringthe'dischar'ge of ma;-

terial into the producer. When the bell 32- is opened it moves rapidlydown to a position in which the outer edge thereof is in proximity tothe conical wall 5 and the material fiowing from the intermediatechamber drops down into the space between the bell 32 and the wall 5forminga seal against passage of gas past the bell 32. As the bell 32moves upwardly into engagement with the discharge openingl l, thematerial resting thereon-is discharged through the opening 4 intotheproducer. The bell 32 thus co-acts with the fuel in the passage-thereoffrom the intermediate chamber into the produ'cer'to impede the escape ofgas duringboththe.

necessary to 1 repair orre place either of the bells at any time, thismay 7 be done without interrupting the operation of the producer byclosing and sealing the valve" 0 107 andremoving the part? of theinterme diate section of the casing whichwill give accessto both bells,either of which. may-,be

removedthrough: the open side of the cas ing. I It would ,be 1 notedthat thetbell operating mechanism is not disturbed either by the removalof the part 7" of the casingor by the removal" and replacement of thebells.

and that, as soon as the part 7 of thecasing:

is replaced-after repair or replacement of abell, the operation of thefeeder may be resumed}. -I

1 Having thus described my'invention; what- Iclaimisz.

17A fuelfeeder for gas producers comprising a, casing adapted to bemounted upon the top of a producer, said casing having :a

lower chamber with an openingrinto the producerand an upper chamberhaving a discharge portion opening-intothe lower chain ber, valves foropening and closing said. openings, means for operating said valvesalternately and at predetermined intervals, a vane wheel. 'fordelivering fuel to the dis-Q charge portion; of the 'upperchamber andmeans for turning said wheel at a predetermined rate. d I

.2. Awfuel feeder for gas producers com prising a casing adapted to bemounted up'on; the top of a producer, saidcasing having a lower chamberwith an opening into theproduceri'and an uppe'rchamber having adischarge portion opening into the lower chan ber, valves'for openingand closing said openings, a rotary feed device for delivering fuel tothe discharge portion of the upper chamber, a rotary actuator adapted tooperate said valves alternately, and means for rotating said actuatorand said feed device at predetermined rates.

3. A fuel feeder for gas producers comprising a casing adapted to bemounted upon the top of a producer, said casing having a lower chamberwith an opening into the producer and an upper chamber having adischarge portion opening into the lower chamher, valves for opening andclosing said openings, means associated with the upper chamher forholding a supply of fuel and for providing a regulated delivery of fuelto the discharge portion thereof, said means in cluding a rotary vanewheel for delivering the material to the discharge portion of thechamber, actuating members connected to said valves, a rotary camadapted to alternately operate the actuating members, and means forrotating said cam and said vane wheel at predetermined rates.

4. A fuel feeder comprising a casing having a lower chamber with adischarge opening and an upper chamber with a discharge portion openinginto the lower chamber, valves for opening and closing said openings,means for operating said valves alternately and at predeterminedintervals, a rotary feed device controlling the rate of delivery of fuelto the discharge portion of the upper chamber, and means for rotatingsaid feed device at various predetermined rates.

5. A fuel feeder comprising a casing having a lower chamber with adischarge opening and an upper chamber with a discharge portion openinginto the lower chamber, valves for opening and closing said openings, arotary feed device for regulating the delivery of fuel to the dischargeporion of the upper chamber, means including a rotary actuator foroperating said valves alternately, means for rotating said actuator andfor rotating said feed device at various rates relatively to the rate ofrotation of the actuator.

6. A fuel feeder for gas producers comprising a casing having a baseportion adapted to be supported on the cover of a producer andsuperposed. chambers above said base portion, the lowermost chamberhaving a discharge opening at the bottom thereof through said baseportion and cover and the chambers above the same each having an openingto the chamber beneath it, bells controlling said last mentionedopenings, the lowermost bell being movable within the lowermost chamberabove the opening intothe producer, and means for operating said bells.

7. A fuel feeder, comprising a casing having a base portion andsuperposed chambers with openings at the lower ends thereof, the openingof the lowermost chamber being through the base portion, means forclosing said last mentioned opening, bells within the casing forcontrolling the openings of chambers above the lowermost, and means foroperating said bells, said casing having a portion of its wall removableto permit access to said bells for replacement or repair.

8. A fuel feeder comprising a casing having superposed chambers, bellswithin the crsicontrolling communication between superposed chambers andmeans mounted noon the wall of the casing at one side thereof forsupporting and operating said bells, aid wall having a portion, on theside oposite said supporting means, removable to )ermit access to saidbells for replacement 1' repair.

9. A fuelfeeder comprising a casing hava base portion and a hollow bodyabove said base portion, said hollow body having walls formed to providea lower chamber, an intermediate chamber and an upper chamber, saidintermediate chamber having a restricted portion providing an openinginto the lowerchamber and said upper chamber having a restricted portionproviding an opening into the the lower chamber, bells for closing saidopenings, said bells being mounted for movement downwardly from saidopenings into the intermediate and lower chambers, respectively, saidcasing having a portion at one side thereof and forming a part of thewall of the intermediate and lower chambers removable to permit accessto both bells.

10. A fuel feeder comprising a tubular casing having a. base sectionwith an opening at the lower end thereof, said base section flaringupwardly from the opening, an intermediate section secured upon saidbase section, the intermediate section having a restricted portion abovethe lower end there of and an enlarged upper end portion, an uppersection secured to upper end of the intermediate section, said uppersection hav ing a restricted portion at its lower end, bells mounted formovement upwardly into the restricted portions to close the same, andmeans mounted on the casing at one side thereof for supporting andoperating the the bells, said intermediate section being dividedvertically into two half parts, one of which carries part of said bellsupporting and operating means and the other of which is removable topermit access to the bells.

11. A fuel feeder comprising a casing having upper and lowerv superposedchambers provided with dischargeopenings at the bot toms thereof, a pairof superposed shafts extending horizontally through said casing at oneside thereof, an arm fixed to each of said shafts within the casing,bells suspended from said arms, an arm fixed to each of said shaftsoutside the casing, a shaft mounted intermediate said firstmentionedshafts, a cam on said shaft engaging said arms, and means for rotatingthe cam shaft.

12. A fuel feeder comprising a casing having upper and lower superposedchambers provided with discharge openings at the bottoms thereof, a pairof superposed shafts extending horizontally through said casing at oneside thereof, an arm fixed to each of said shafts within the casing,bells suspended from said arms, an arm fixed to each of said shaftsoutside the casing, counterweights connected to the shaftsfor holdingthe bells in closing position, a shaft mounted intermediate saidfirst-mentioned shaft-s, a cam on said shaft engaging said arms, andmeans for rotating the cam shaft.

13. A fuel feeder comprising a casing having upper and lower superposedchambers arovided with dischar e 0 enin 's valves for opening andclosing said openings, counterweights for normally holding said valvesin closed position, a shaft having a cam thereon alternately acting onsaid counterweights to iiie 'hesaine, means including a pawl and ratchetfor operatingsaid cam shaft, and means for preventing overrunning ofsaid. ratchet.

14-. A fuel feeder comprising a casing hav- '.ig upper and lowersuperposed chambers provided with discharge openings, valve'sfoi'opening and closing said openings, counterweights for normally holdingsaid valves in closed position, a shaft having a cam thereon alternatelyacting on said counterweights to lift the same, means including a pawland ratchet for operating said cam shaft,.an d means for preventingoverrunning and reverse rotation of saidratchet.

15. A fuel feeder comprising a casing hav-,

in upper and lower superposed chambers provided w th oischarge openingsat the bottoms thereof, three parallel superposed shafts carried by saidcasing, the upper and I lower of said shaftsextending to the interior ofthe casing, arms fixed to the upper and lower shafts inside the casing,bells suspended from said arms for controlling said openings, a cam onsaid intermediate shaft, arms on said upper and lower shafts engagingthe cam, counterweights connected to said upper,

and lower shafts forvliolding the bells in closed positions, meansincluding a pawl and ratchet for operating said cam shaft, and means forpreventing overrunning of said ratchet. I v p I 16. A'fuel feedercomprising a casing having superposed upper an lower chambers natelyoperating the valves, a ratchet rotatable with the cain, a movablymounted member carrying a pawl engaging said ratchet, scans forreciprocating said pawl carrying member, a rotary feeder for regulatingthe feed of fuel to the upper chamber, a ratchet connectedto saidfeeder, a pawl engaging said iastementioned ratchet, and means for pawlengaging said ratchet, and means operated by said valve actuating meansfor operating said pawl to turn said ratchet.

I 18. A fuel feeder comprising a casing having superposed upper andlower chambers with openings in the bottoms thereof, valves for openingand closing said openings, means for operating said, valves alternatelyand at predetermined intervals, a rotary vane wheel for regulating thefeed of fuel to the upper chamber, means for turningsaid vane wheel,

and means for releasing said vane wheel from its turning means upon anexcessive resist ance to turning movement.

19. A fuel feeder comprising a casing having superposed upper and lowerchambers with openings in the bottoms thereof for passage of fuel, bellscontrolling said openings, continuously operated means for alternatelyoperating said bells, a vane Wheel controlling the flow of material tothe upper chamber,

means actuated by the bell operating means for turning said vane wheel,and means for rendering said vane wheel turning means inoperative uponexcessive resistance to turning movement. c v

20. A feeder for gas producers'comprising a casing adapted to be.mounted upon the cover of a producer liavinga chamber with i an openingin the bottom thereof, a bellfor closing said opening, a chamber beneaththe first chamber enclosing said bell, said lower chamber having anopening into the producer of a diameter less than that of the bell and aconical upwardly flaring wall above the opening, and means for movingthe hell upwardly to a positionclosingthe opening of the first-mentionedchamber and downwardly to a position in which the outer edge of the bellis in proximity to the conical wall of the lower chamber.

In testimony whereof, Ihereunto afiix my signature.

1 JOHN F.-ROGERS.

